i'm jim cramer. see you tomorrow! this morning on "early today," debate in danville. the vice presidential candidates square off tonight in their only face to face as polls tighten. developing right now in miami, trapped for 13 hours under concrete, a construction worker is pulled out alive from a collapsed parking garage that's already killed two. the search for survivors continues. and a search of another kind. a hearing over the benghazi terror attacks that led to four deaths, including u.s. ambassador chris stevens, gets seriously heated. details next. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. i'm lynn berry. breaking news this morning out of the middle east p..

a yemeni security official that worked at the u.s. embassy was shot and killed in sanaa today. a u.s. official believed to be in his 50s was reportedly on his way to work when he was gunned down in a motorcycle attack. an editor at "the yemen post" in sanaa tells nbc news the ambush had all the hallmarks of an al qaeda-style attack. back here at home, vice president joe biden and republican rival paul ryan prepare to square off tonight in kentucky in their one and only debate. new poll numbers show the current vp has his work cut out for him. according to a new survey from the pew center, just 39% of registered voters view biden favorably compared to 44% who favor ryan. when it comes to predicting the winner of tonight's debate, 40% of registered voters say ryan will come out on top, while 34% think biden will prevail. nbc's tracie potts is joining us from washington with a preview

of the debate. tracie, good morning. lynn, good morning. the pressure is definitely on . paul ryan somewhat of the underdog because vice president's done this a number of times before, but you can see he's favored in those numbers. he's been in florida, and before that in virginia doing at least three mock debates that we know of. now he's already in kentucky. the vice president will arrive later this afternoon, just hours before that debate begins. we are told he's been in delaware, not only studying ryan's book and his speeches, but his budget as well. apparently expecting to make a big point of that ryan budget tonight. the pressure is certainly on the vice president, after the president's performance at the first debate, the presidential debate in denver last week. he needs to sort of help and pull up the ticket, analysts say. and brand-new poll numbers show that mitt romney made some gains after that presidential debate. he's now leading by one point in virginia. in ohio he's still behind but up

by two, and it's still a horse race in florida, a one-point spread between the president and mitt romney there. lynn? >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thanks. and you can watch live coverage of tonight's debate live from danville, kentucky. that's beginning at 9:00 p.m. eastern/6:00 pacific right here on nbc. a week after the first presidential debate the latest nbc news/"wall street journal"/parst poll finds that republican nominee mitt romney has surged in three swing states. governor romney's largest gain was in virginia where he now leads president obama 48% to 47%, a virtual tie and within the margin of error. in florida, president obama retains a one point lead over romney, 48 to 47%. and in that key battleground state of ohio mitt romney gained two points but the president still leads 51% to 45%. well, today marks one month since the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. and yesterday the white house again denied any intentional cover-up of what led to the

assault and said the investigation continues. lawmakers demanded to know how lax security may have been and whether warning signs were completely or simply ignored. nbc's steve handlesman is in washington. >> reporter: to highlight his concern, president obama had his terrorism advisor john brennan in libya to push the investigation of the 9/11/2012 attack that killed u.s. ambassador chris stevens and three others. but republicans at the house hearing charged the obama state department showed a lack of concern last summer after u.s. facilities in benghazi were attacked twice. >> i believe personally with more assets and more resources just meeting the minimum standards, we could have and should have saved the life of ambassador stevens and the other people that were there. >> reporter: one of the witnesses agreed. lieutenant colonel andrew wood ran embassy security until august. >> the situation remained uncertain and reports from some

libyans indicated it was getting worse. >> reporter: just five u.s. agents protected the main u.s. compound. staffers recommended more. >> there wasn't sufficient resources provided. >> that was one of the main reasons i continued to ask for those resources, yes. >> reporter: but back in washington, deputy assistant secretary of state charlene lamb said no. >> sir, we had the correct number of assets in benghazi at the time of 9/11 for what had been agreed upon. >> saying you had the correct number and our ambassador and three other individuals are dead and people are in the hospital recovering because it only took moments to breach that facility somehow doesn't seem to ring true to the american people. >> reporter: the state department now says two u.s. compounds were hit that night, one by a mortar that killed navy s.e.a.l.s who tried to save the ambassador. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. now here's a look at some other stories making news "early

today" in america. we are going to begin in california with a parents' nightmare at a youth football game. a violent scuffle broke out between opposing coaches after the game ended. it's still unclear what started the melee, but it did stop before any of the children or adults were injured. two florida construction workers were killed in a parking garage collapse. one witness said the five-story lot was under construction when it just fell like a house of cards. rescuers pulled one survivor from the rubble 13 hours after the collapse. crews will continue searching for the lone, unaccounted for worker this morning. and finally, there goes the bride in new jersey. look at that woman right there. she swiped a $5,000 wedding dress right in broad daylight. she apparently had a small group of friends and a small child to distract the shop owners while she escaped. police are still looking for the woman. now for a look at your national and regional weather, meteorologist bill karins has the weather for you.

>> you know what's amazing, the big, huge waves in hawaii you get in winter months and the people trying to surf is absolutely incredible, amazing people. these waves roared. high surf warnings yesterday. say they're down to advisory to 10 to 20-foot waves and this is the famous surfing spot in the hawaiian islands. on my twitter account, i've posted amazing pictures of people trying to ride the barrels in the huge waves on the hawaiian islands. as far as storminess goes, there's really not any storms around, just large swells driven their way through the pacific and it was really the first winter big wave we've seen. on the west coast, it's an interesting scenario with the upper level low spinning off the coast of california. as advertised, it's slowly headed towards los angeles. we've had thunderstorms overnight in the las vegas area, a plume of moisture now surging northward, mostly rural areas of nevada. but during the day today, showers and storms are possible, really anywhere here from l.a., even down to san diego eventually. and for some of these areas, it's the first rainfall you've seen since may. yes, this is the beginning of the rainy season. it's just a small beginning, but

we will have the shower and storm potential today all areas in the desert southwest and into southern california. as far as the wet season in the northwest, enjoy today. i think we'll have our first chance of rain tomorrow and a more significant storm into sunday. that's a areas of the west. yeah, first time has a chance of rain in months. it's a big deal in areas of southern california. >> you're very excited. all right, well, a development in the search for a missing 10-year-old colorado girl. the best places to live for working moms. plus, the lowdown on taylor swift's wedding crasher incident. so, what really happened at that kennedy affair? you're watching "early today."

i'm lynn berry. breaking news overnight. a body has been found near denver during the search for a 10-year-old girl missing since friday. however, right now police say they are unable to connect the discovery to missing jessica ridgeway, who lived seven miles away. we'll be sure to keep you updated on that. and we're getting more on. the teenaged pakistani girl shot in the head by the taliban is being transported to a better equipped hospital near islamabad, stable but conscious. people in pakistan took to the street to condemn the murder of the 14-year-old blogger. the massachusetts pharmacy suspected of being the source of the current deadly meningitis outbreak settled a lawsuit five years ago after a previous meningitis death. both that pharmacy and a second drug company with the same owner have temporarily suspended operations. after arguments wednesday, the supreme court is now deciding whether the university

of texas went too far in considering race as a factor in student admissions. and texas executed convicted rapist and child killer jonathan green last night, despite his attorney's claim green was mentally ill. and now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,344 after slipping 128 points yesterday. the s&p fell eight. the nasdaq lost 13. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was down 49 points but in hong kong the hang seng gained 79. wall street is all about earnings right now, and wednesday caution from alcoa and a late-day warning from chevron dragged stocks lower again. however, earnings from fedex, costco and yum! brands offset some of the loss. walmart was another bright spot, hitting an all-time high on this season's layaway success and plans for more small-scale stores. jpmorgan chase's cfo is reportedly stepping down at the

end of the year. the bank's ceo, jamie dimon, also made headlines yesterday, backing democrats on the tax cut debate, saying he's willing to pay a higher individual rate. meanwhile, westgate resort mogul david siegel, best known for his 90,000-square-foot home, warned his 6,500 employees, if president obama is re-elected he'll be forced to downsize or shut down entirely. eastman kodak wants a bankruptcy judge to allow it to end benefits to some 56,000 retirees. on the data front, september foreclosure filings dropped to a five-year low, and home heating oil could be 19% more expensive this winter. according to forbes, columbus, ohio, is the best u.s. city for working moms followed by new orleans, hartford, cincinnati and providence. it is the end of an era for coca-cola. remember these? the last, iconic, 6 1/2-ounce

returnable glass bottles rolled off the production line minnesota on tuesday. and finally, a cheesy publicity stunt could earn someone a lot of dough. pizza hut is offering free pizza for life or over $15,000 to anyone willing to stand up and ask either candidate at next week's presidential debate if they prefer sausage or pepperoni on their pie. well, coming up, a damning report on cycling legend lance armstrong and doping. the a's survive to fight another day. plus, one yankee slugger puts on his hero hat twice in one game. your sports headlines are straight ahead. and the dry weather pattern in the northwest is coming to an end. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. in sports, first to the bronx. yankee manager joe girardi made a gutsy call, pinch hitting raul ibanez for alex rodriguez with the yankees down in the ninth, but it pays off. ibanez hits a home run to take the game to extras. three innings later ibanez connects again with a lead-off homer in the 12th for a stunning 3-2 yankee victory. over to oakland now. down 3-1 in the ninth, the a's seth smith hit a game-tieing two-run double and coco crisp capped off the comeback with a two-out rbi single.

in cincinnati, the giants hit three home runs, and tim lincecum pitched like a two-time cy young award winner he is for an 8-3 victory over the reds. on to washington now, where cardinals rookie pete kozma hit a three-run homer in the second. chris carpenter pitched scoreless ball into the sixth. and a trio of relievers finished the 8-0 shutout for the cards. well, to sad news now, former nfl player and actor alex karras died yesterday at age 77. he was a four-time pro bowl defensive tackle for the detroit lions. and after football, the man known as the mad duck is remembered for his role on the 1980 sitcom "webster" and in movies, of course, most notably for the role of mongo in "blazing saddles." well, the u.s. anti-doping agency revealed to lance armstrong the names of 26 people who accused him of doping, 11 of which were former teammates. the report accuses armstrong of blood doping for most of his career and is expecting teammates to do the same.

armstrong did not fight the usda's charges but insists he never cheated. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by new just for men autostop. gray is over. well, criminals target a teen heartthrob. and 2012's most influential man. entertainment headlines are next. plus, much ado about a hairdo? a 12-year-old florida boy pays the price for a brave gesture. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." the big news, of course the rain chances in southern california. here's the malibu area and los angeles. even a few lightning strikes off the malibu coastline with this little cell. some of this will be trying to push into coastal areas near l.a. through the morning rush hour, so keep that in mind as you're getting ready this morning. forecast through the entire day, a hit-and-miss chance of showers and storms through the southwest, but tomorrow will be better in southern cal. if you're watching on king 5 news in seattle, washington, in nearby monroe, get up close and personal with the world's deadliest snakes, the largest spiders and the creepiest crawlers at the serpentarium, and they're all friendly, at the reptile zoo. that's your "pacific event of the day," lynn. >> bill, thanks. now to entertainment news. this just isn't justin bieber's week. he's been hit twice by criminal acts. on tuesday, the pop star had a camera and a computer stolen while he was performing in

tacoma, washington. and yesterday, he was the latest celebrity to be targeted by swatting. that's when someone calls 911 and claims a crime is being committed at their home. thankfully, the biebs is doing just fine. phew. "ask men" is releasing its list of most influential men of 2012. and you are not going to believe who tops the list. james bond. not the actor, but a fictional character. this is likely due to the new "007" film coming out next month. and finally, taylor swift is setting the record straight about crashing that kennedy wedding in august. the 22-year-old singer who has been dating 18-year-old connor kennedy tells "rolling stone" it was all just a big misunderstanding and that she would never show up anywhere uninvited or want to upstage anyone. >> do you think there's an official apology to the bride yet? >> i'm sure the bride's still crying -- >> i think probably the bride's mom is probably the one who has to get over it. >> exactly. lots of pictures that were detracted from the bride herself.

well, this comes to us from wfla newschannel 8 in tampa, florida, where 12-year-old michael justice faces an inschool suspension for violating the school's hair policy. kind of bizarre. justice, along with his entire family, dyed his hair pink to honor relatives that have battled breast cancer. sweet idea, right? well, the middle school principal said the boy violated policy, calling his pink hair a distraction and inappropriate. justice dyed his hair black to accommodate the principal's decision. iyst lynn i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

a zoo in mexico can add cute to their resume of residents. four bengal tiger cubs, three males and one female, were introduced to the public after being born last month. zoo veterinarians say the cubs are in good health and will be ready for the exchange program with other zoos in a few months. look at that face. their arrival is an exciting one since bengal cubs are endangered. well, going pink for breast cancer awareness is an international affair, a star-studded one at that. the paris opera house was illuminated in bright pink to support the cause for a gala event. among honored guests was actress elizabeth hurley, dressed in pink, of course, right there. earlier this week, rio's famed statue was also blushed in pink in celebration of breast cancer month. and more now on james bond. his latest mission, to get you to visit england.

that's right. the country's tourism board has enlisted the help of their best secret agent. the new ad faces all 007s through the years cut together with footage of british cities and countryside. the ad will be shown in theaters with the release of bond's latest adventure, "skyfall," which i cannot wait for. >> really? >> yes, i'm very excited. so your favorite bond? >> oh, wow. >> i know, it's a tough question. >> you know something, i actually like one of the recent ones, "the casino royale" was actually okay for me. i like all poker things. >> that will do. well, it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow today on nbc. officials at the national zoo in washington will hold a news conference this morning to discuss the death of a panda cub last month. the 6-day-old panda appeared to be healthy until it was found lifeless. preliminary reports show the cub had liver abnormalities and fluid in its abdomen. well, in case you haven't looked at the calendar, today is 10/11/12, and apparently, it's an easy anniversary to remember, according to a reported surge in

weddings planned for today, and other iconic dates, like december's 12/12/12. and happy birthday to nbc's 30 rock star jane krakowski. she turns 44 today. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. details on a zumba trainer from maine who's accused of running a brothel out of her fitness studio. and a live performance by british singer-songwriter ellie goulding. and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com